Ducks Tame Wildcats 87-73
Rick Morgan

Oregon made six of their first seven three point attempts to pounce early on the Arizona Wildcats on their way to a 87-73 win Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena.

Five Ducks posted double figures in the scoring column, led by Lexi Petersen's 17 points. Jasmin Holliday and Ariel Thomas each hit for 16, Jordan Loera was good for a dozen and Danielle Love for 11 as the Ducks led wire to wire in earning their second conference win.

"It was good to get a win," said head coach Paul Westhead. "Especially coming back home. The difference in the second half was the poise of Lexi Petersen who took over the game for us. She did a great job for us."

Petersen knocked down four of eight from the floor and nine of ten from the line filling in for point guard Nia Jackson. Jackson's chronic knee condition limited the senior point to 12 minutes of playing time, necessitating the shift from the three spot to the point for Petersen.

"I played a little point guard in high school," said Petersen. "But that is it. I just try to push as hard as I can and go from there."

Scorching the net from the tip, Oregon jumped to a 21 -3 lead in the game's first eight minutes. From there the Ducks stiff-armed several Wildcat rallies, never letting the visitors closer than eight points on a pair of occasions.

Oregon shot 51.5% in the first twenty minutes then tapered off to finish at a more reasonable 44.4% but that included 12-16 from three. The Ducks also owned a 44-39 advantage on the boards led by freshman Liz Brenner's 11.

"Liz had eleven rebounds and every game she is going to get better and more confident offensively," said Westhead, "She was a force inside, and we needed that. She doesn't make a lot of mistakes and doesn't get out of position."

Oregon will attempt to complete the weekend sweep when the Arizona State Sun Devils visit on Saturday. Tip off is set for 2:00 pm.